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| 1 | Staff Case Study: Amelia Johnstone
 
Amelia Johnstone
Course Co-ordinator, BA (Hons) Illustration
Hereford College of Arts
What do you think makes a good Illustration student?
A good student will always be enthusiastic and willing to do anything that they are given, like a challenge. They will rise to a challenge. A bad student is someone who has already decided what they think they want to do and they’re not willing to budge. So a good student generally comes with a pot of energy and enthusiasm and the willingness and hopefully some talent and some skill. But talent and skill on their own aren’t enough. A good student is someone you can work with, that you can talk to and they will take your advice.
What do you look for when you’re interviewing students?
I look for spark, if I see someone that’s really enthusiastic, but their portfolio is slightly weak I think I can work with them. It’s interesting to accept people that aren’t always up to scratch it’s not about good drawing, it’s about telling a story. If it’s slightly dodgy but tells the story in a good way then that can be a good thing. People should be themselves and not try to be someone they’re not. I look for that potential and willingness to be challenged.
What portfolio advice can you give to students applying?
I want to see the sketchbook, I want to see the thinking and how that person comes up with ideas. I want to see their personal work, the doodles they did on Sunday afternoon and where Illustration lives within their world. The personality is really important. I want to be told a story and a lot of that comes from a sketch book but not that you’ve been told to do but one that you do because you want to. That sort of stuff really
Why should a student choose to study Illustration at HCA?
We have the studio environment here which is unique as students in big universities hot desk and work at home all the time. Illustrators need to be bouncing ideas back and forth off other people so we have the studio spaces to do so. There is also no house style here and there is no need for students to be like anyone else. Certain Universities are very strictly specific and you can tell by looking at graduates work from those places. Those types of Illustration aren’t progressive whereas Illustration at Hereford looks to find new ways in which to illustrate and different ways in which you can go. I think Illustration sitting alongside Graphics here is a very good thing as you can actually communicate with those people who you would be working alongside in industry and I suppose that goes for Film, Animation and Photography. People always say how much fun Illustration looks here and how happy the students are and they make things happen for themselves. Hereford is not necessarily the cosmopolitan place like other cities but that means you can put your own stamp on it and that’s why I came back here to teach.
What activities can students do to broaden their opportunities in Illustration outside of their studies?
Basically, offering yourself out in the community but also making sure you keep links with all the people that work in Illustration. It has to be a self-motivated thing and if you don’t really want it then you can’t have it. I became president of the student union at Royal College of Art and started up two magazines. One was an intellectual magazine called ‘Arc’ and also a magazine called ‘Le Gun’ which is put together by a group of illustrators. With ‘Le Gun’, we are all split up in different locations but we keep in regular contact and it’s about making the most of every opportunity. You have to know what’s happening in the Illustration world but also to know what opportunities you can create for yourself.
What are the benefits of doing a degree in Illustration?
Doing a degree in Illustration makes you able to communicate with people and to discuss ideas. You can transfer all of those skills to many different things and an illustrator’s ability to communicate clearly can be such a quality. A lot of illustrators are also musicians or writers and they have more multifaceted things because it’s not a subject which narrows, it’s a subject that broadens constantly so you’re going to learn a lot of things that you wouldn’t learn if you were doing a narrow degree. Illustration is very much about ideas and about generating those and seeing how they can grow and be creative in their own right. Becoming a teacher from being an Illustration student is a very useful thing to do because you learn how to inspire people because that’s what Illustration is about. You become a hugely valuable creative practitioner but also somebody that can use that in many different ways.
Could you go into more detail about your career as an Illustrator?
I’ve carried on my own work during my time teaching at the College and I’m currently working on a new version of Hansel and Gretel. I’m going to Sweden to do the drawings for that. ‘Le Gun’ has meant that I’ve had lots of group exhibitions and basically grabbing any opportunity. That’s what’s really important in the Illustration world is to make opportunities and to make things happen. Illustration is very different to Graphic Design, you mostly have to work freelance. To be a good illustrator you have to live it from the top of your head to the tip of your toes and so every morning even putting stripy tights on, I feel like an illustrator because I always like to look like I’m a drawing. Every moment of my life is about drawing and I can’t live without it. I’m an intellectual illustrator really so living and breathing it is an essential. That what it’s like to be a practitioner, it’s someone who adores what they do. If you think about money then you’ll never do it and the richness of an illustrator’s life is in their pictures not in their pockets.
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| 2 | Graduate Case Study: Phil Hackett
 Phil Hackett
BA (Hons) Illustration
Hereford College of Arts
Graduated 2006
What qualifications did you study after GCSE level?
I went on to do a BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design at Crosskeys College, South Wales
Why did you choose to study at Hereford College of Arts?
Hereford seemed like quite a nice, friendly place, the college looked like a good place to study, with large, personal working spaces, and the tutor at the time was an incredibly interesting person (he was wearing plus-fours when he interviewed me!)
What do you think are the benefits of having a degree in Illustration?
Art Editors and publishers take notice of whether an illustrator has a degree in Illustration. I learnt so much about the fundamentals of illustration and the illustration business itself while I studied at Hereford. I really don't think that I'd be a successful illustrator if I hadn't of studied at Hereford. We were taught methods of drawing, ways of seeing, and the importance of conveying ideas clearly. But we were also taught how to market ourselves and how to run an illustration business. Those Business Studies lessons could be a bit boring at times but I've found them invaluable since I've started work as a freelance illustrator
Have you always wanted to be an Illustrator?
Not at all - I spent my teen years wanting to be a fine Art painter - I finished my BTEC at Crosskeys and went straight to Cheltenham to study a BA hons in Visual Arts and Combined Arts. I didn't look into what the course entailed and found myself studying just 4 hours of Art each week The rest of the week was spent doing the 'Combined Arts' bit of the course, so after the first term I decided to quit. Best decision I've ever made. I spent the next 3 years in different callcentre jobs - one of the great things about callcentre jobs is that you wear a headset so your hands are free. I found that I could draw to my heart's content, so filled sketchbook after skectchbook with dense, intricate biro drawings. Once, I was flicking through a magazine and in the letters section I saw a small drawing that someone had sent in that looked similar to the drawings I was producing at the time (dense, detailed - filled with tubes and wires and stuff). The reader that had sent in the drawing mentioned that he was studying an MA in illustration, and I suddenly thought 'wow - there's illustration courses?'. I have to add that I didn't really know what illustration was at the time - I just thought of it as drawing. It was at that point that I decided to be an illustrator and study illustration. It was during the first few months of college at Hereford that we were told that it was possible for people to earn a living from Illustration, and around about that time I thought 'yes, I'd like to do that'.
Have you entered any national competitions?
At the start of my third year in Hereford I entered the RSA Design Directions competition. I had to design a set of Stamps to commemorate 150 years of the Science Museum. My stamps were shortlisted and I had to attend the RSA's headquarters in London. It was a rather intimidating affair - I was interviewed about my stamps in front of a table of 8 professionals (including people from the Royal Mail, the RSA etc). Incredibly nerve-wracking but I managed to get 2nd place and won £2000.
What advice would you give to students who may be thinking about a career in Illustration?
Go for it - they've got nothing to lose. It's probably going to be worth their while going to University or College to study a degree in illustration - they'll learn so much more about the business as a whole as hopefully they'll get taught by working illustrators or ex-illustrators. As for when they're ready to start looking for illustration commissions, send out work to absolutely everyone and anyone - cast their net out wide. There's obviously more chance of securing a commission if you approach more people.
What have you been up to since leaving the College?
I stayed in Hereford after graduating and spent my time sending out batches of my illustrations to loads of different magazines and newspapers. I supported myself by working at the local bowling alley. After a few months I got a commission for three illustrations in the Reader's Digest, and not long after that I found an agent that was willing to represent me. Since then the number of illustration commissions I was receiving per month grew steadily and it's got to a point where I no longer need to have a job alongside the illustrating. I'm supporting myself which is great and something that I'm very grateful for. I'm lucky as I've managed to secure two weekly illustrations - one for the Financial Times and one for Investment Adviser. Other clients over the past three years have included The Radio Times, The Independent, Inside Housing, The Lawyer, Printweek, Packaging News, Nature Magazine, Richmond Publishing, Printing World, Accountancy Age amongst others. I moved to London last week - it will make it easier to meet clients and show them my portfolio, but the main reason for moving was that I've always loved the city and felt like a change of scenery!
Would you consider postgraduate study?
I don't know what postgraduate study could offer me at this stage in my career. I'm doing well and am getting constant work. If the number of commissions I was getting tailed off I might consider doing an MA in London as a way of developing my style and evolving to meet the demands of the industry. At present I don't really need to do further studying. That said, I really, really enjoyed studying at Hereford and it would be nice to immerse myself in that kind of creative environment again
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| 3 | Routes to becoming an Illustrator
Open the file below to see how you could become an illustrator. 
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BA (Hons) Illustration @ Hereford College of Arts
Friendly open-access studios, individual workspaces, easy access to teaching and technical advice
What does this course involve?
Illustration is not only a crucial part of contemporary visual culture; it plays an essential role in how we view our world through everything from children's books, to album covers, posters to satirical cartoons. Illustrators reflect the ever changing ways in which we see the world and through them reflect the way it can be seen.
Is this course right for me?
This intensive specialist course aims to equip students with the imagination, knowledge, skills and understanding which are necessary to acquire the confidence to become a professional Illustrator. Throughout the course emphasis is placed upon "drawing", as a way to generate ideas, to challenge assumptions, and ultimately to communicate with a lively engaging voice. Students are asked to respond to intensive specialist projects which will encourage them to develop their own unique vision and way of working before applying this to the diverse demands of this exciting industry.
UCAS course code: W220
Click to go to website for further information on Illustration
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